"(...) It's been the house of Muhammad Ali, Patrick Ewing and Billy Joel. Now, Madison Square Garden belongs to Harper Lee, too.
And to playwright Aaron Sorkin, director Bartlett Sher and the cast of Broadway’s smash-hit “To Kill a Mockingbird,” who, for an astonishing afternoon, took over the Garden and captivated an audience 18,000 strong.
That the attendees were mostly middle and high school students from all corners of New York City — invited to a free performance Wednesday of a heartbreaking stage version of Lee’s 1960 novel — made the event all the more remarkable. For this was the first time that the storied sports and entertainment arena had been transformed into a playhouse, for a one-performance-only run of a play. A production that also involved a specially made 90-by-40-foot stage, 105 stagehands and technicians and 18,000 free boxes of popcorn. Madison Square Garden chief executive James L. Dolan provided the arena and its in-house operations free of charge." From the Washington Post, Feb 27, 2020.
We pride ourselves in working with the very best people in the industry - in fact there's a section in our brand manifesto, which goes like this: "We have access to the best talent in the business from all around the world. From producers with SuperBowl halftime experience…to Grammy award winning sound designers…to Broadway stage managers and everything in between, we’ve got your covered. We hand pick our teams based on the level of support your project needs. This bespoke approach allows us to staff the right people and stay within your budget. So, whether it’s an audience of 50 or 50,000, el-j guarantees you’ll get the best."
Now you're asking why I am telling you all this? Why am I writing about a broadway play in Madison Square Garden. That's because our very "own" Keith Koslov was the video director at the show and had the following to say about this wonderful experience:
"Connecting to an audience in an arena is much different than in small space. We needed to capture the intimacy of the actors' faces and their powerful expressions and project it on to screens. Otherwise, the audience would not see it or more importantly, feel it, and we only had one chance to get it right.
It was an extraordinary experience for the audience: they could see, hear and feel connected to the ideas and words being played out on the stage, just as if they were in a small space and the actors were looking right at them."
Congratulations to everyone involved and hey, Keith: We're proud of you!!
Chances are that Keith will be part of the team, the next time you work together with us! ;-)
